Spooky Display In Stillwater Helps Out Special-Needs Adult
STILLWATER, Minn. (WCCO) -- At the corner of Fourth and Marsh streets in Stillwater, there is a Halloween display that's hard to miss. Every inch of the historic home is covered in Halloween decorations, both spooky and fun.
"I've never seen one this big," one onlooker said. "I'm 80 years old and I've never seen nothin' this big."
The display will make you want to stop and gawk.
"I was just driving by and it's just beautiful," the driver said. "I had to stop and see it."
Michelle Bracewell-Musson and her 21-year-old son, Chad Bracewell, moved here from Canada five years ago. That's when they started the decorating tradition.
That first year, they say about 15 to 20 trick-or-treaters showed up.
"Last year we had about 650 kids," Bracewell-Musson said.
This display is drawing kids from all over to walk through their spooky front yard.
"He just kind of took it upon himself to ask if people would like tours," Bracewell-Musson said of her son.
Something special Bracewell does for all the trick-or-treaters that come through this spooky house is the tour. Bracewell leads visitors through the yard -- and it's those tours that have helped change his life.
"It really helps him with communication," Bracewell-Musson said. "People in the neighborhood have really gotten to know him, and they really embrace this situation."
Talking to the kids and showing them around the display, Bracewell is getting just as much out of the experience as the trick-or-treaters.
"We're just really, really happy that he's happy and that every one is accepting him for who he is," Bracewell-Musson said.
Although many things in this yard will make you jump, Bracewell can assure you it's just for fun.
"It's a friendly house," he said.
This family also goes all-out for Christmas, so expect another big display soon.
